Thulegesellschaft (Thule Society) was founded in 1918 by Rudolf von Sebottendorff. He had been schooled in occultism, Islamic mysticism, alchemy, Rosicrucianism and much else, in Turkey, where he had also been initiated into Freemasonry.

The group started off researching German antiquity, but soon became invovled in anti-Semitic and pro-German propaganda. From these political activities grew the German National Socialist Party, the Nazis.